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Fourth Defendant In Fake ID Ring Pleads Guilty

The fourth defendant has pleaded guilty in the fake ID ring that operated out of a house on Rugby Road. 19-year-old Michael A. DelRio of New Jersey has admitted to conspiring to commit identification document fraud. DelRio was also known as Copernicus Lionheart. Federal prosecutor Tim Heaphy says DelRio developed a web-based interface for potential customers that, if deployed, would have made the criminal enterprise even more lucrative than it was. Previously, in the case, Alan McNeil Jones, Kelly Erin McPhee and Mark G. Bernardo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit identification fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for their roles in the fake ID ring. The conspiracy, which began in 2010 under the name Novel Design, produced and sold more than 25,000 fake driver’s licenses that were sold mainly to college students throughout the nation.

“Mr. DelRio played a significant role in perpetuating a high-tech and sophisticated scheme to

produce and sell high-quality false identification documents all across the nation,” United States Attorney

Timothy J. Heaphy said today. “Because false

identification documents present very real threat to our security, we will continue to prioritize cases like

that against Mr. DelRio and his co-conspirators.”

“Counterfeit identity documents, like the ones produced by this ring, can be used by criminals,

enabling them to mask their identities and operate with ease in the United States,” said Scot Rittenberg,

acting special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations, Washington. “HSI is committed to